The present disclosure relates generally to a container loading and unloading apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for loading and unloading containers with respect to a carrier in a controlled manner, involving minimum human intervention.
Containers, particularly road-transportable shipping containers, are commonly used to ship and store cargo. Typically, the containers are loaded into and unloaded from a carrier, such as a shipping trailer, for transportation of the cargo. During the loading process, the container may be handled in an uncontrolled manner, resulting in unorganized arrangement of the containers, which causes waste of the limited space of the shipping trailer and difficulty in locating and unloading the containers. Furthermore, in order to organize the containers, additional human labor and/or equipment may be needed, for example, to place the containers in a stacked manner. Furthermore, the addition of the human element increases the safety and physiological concerns associated with manually lifting and placing shipping cases.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,999 to Luevano teaches an unloading system, which includes a loading platform, a conveyor positioned below the loading platform, and a slanted ramp between the loading platform and the conveyor. Items to be unloaded from a carrier can be slid from the platform to the conveyor through the ramp, relying on the gravity of the items. However, since the items are slid on the ramp, it is impossible for the system of Luevano to position a plurality of items in a stacked manner under control. Accordingly, interference of the items during the unloading process is inevitable and additional human labor is necessitated to organize the items.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,947 to Litten teaches a hydraulic ramp loader, which includes an extendible ramp and a hydraulic system for moving the ramp up and down with respect to a carrier. The ramp can be moved up and down by the hydraulic system. The ramp, including four panels connected with one another, allows an item to slide on the panels. Thus, similar to Luevano, Litten cannot load or unload a plurality of items in a stacked manner under control. Accordingly, additional human labor is necessitated to organize the items.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a container loading and unloading apparatus and method, which is capable of loading and unloading the containers in a controlled manner, and minimizing human intervention during the loading and unloading process, thereby reducing human safety and physical concerns.